I stopped being lazy and wrote a real post!

[E-bo Obi]

Hello all. This is my first official correspondence from the great land of Afghanistan. Is it really great? I suppose that is a matter of opinion. I have seen some things I never thought I would see in my life. So that is a plus I suppose.

I work in a building with no windows. But then again I work at night and it is really dark here so I am not missing much. My housing is the same. There are no windows. That is good though because I have no trouble sleeping during the day. There are 6 other people in my living quarters which are known as B-huts. We put up 8 foot high walls to divide off the separate living areas and give the impression that we actually have privacy. I can look in any direction outside my hut and see mountains. And I don't mean little mountains, I mean its 90+ degrees and they have snow on the top of them mountains.

I have been in country for almost exactly a month now. I don't do a whole lot outside of work. There really isn't much to do on this base when you aren't working. I can go to the gym, watch tv, or play video games. Since I work nights I don't have any acquaintances outside of the ten people I work with. Its tough to make friends when there isn't anyone to talk to. The people I work with are all military so trying to do anything around their impossible schedules is pointless.

About once a month I travel around the country to deliver items to units in the field. This is actually refreshing because I can go talk to different people and take in new environments. Just the differences in the locals is amazing for a country the size of Texas. Some places I go you see the standard Persians, some you see people that are distinctly of asian decent, and in some you get this strange mix of all of that with the look of eastern Europeans.

Withdrawal: Being used to having someone to come home to every night has been difficult. I miss my family and friends. I miss being able to log on to the computer and talk to a hundred different people. I am already tired of playing first person shooters and watching the same movies. I have even bought series of tv shows and watched all of them. I have read about 10 books. I would kill for a beer! I would even drink coors light at this point. And how I miss my bourbon.

I went online and bought a few new games that should stem the tide for a while. I can only conquer the world and the galaxy so many times in a day before it gets boring. I ordered Battlefield 2 and a couple other games from EB. I ordered about 10 more books from wally world too. If anyone has suggestions I am open.

By the way, the day I got here was the final showing of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. Glad I saw it before I left. But I do have it on DVD already. =)

If you have questions please ask. I never know what anyone wants to hear so it will be easier for me to write these little blurbs.

[Lok'i Vidaar]

Glad to hear you aren't out somewhere getting shot at...
Glad to hear you got BF2.

Sorry to hear things are sorta boring, and I understand you missing your family and all, maybe not in the same way but I've been a bit far away from mine for months at a time before too.

Can't wait to see you get home and know your safe bro!

Hope things get better where you're at...

Have you taken any pictures? it would be pretty cool to see where you're at and all..

Lok'i

[E-bo Obi]

Have you taken any pictures? it would be pretty cool to see where you're at and all..

I have pictures and some short videos. Problem right now is hosting them. I have space but its tough to get there from here and it takes forever to try and upload. I have tried to email and I must not be allowed to send more than a meg out at a time...

So as soon as I get time and get the webspace deal taken care of I will give you all a link. And don't bother suggesting the free webspace places, I can't get to any of them from here. They have almost everything locked out. I am suprised I can even reach this site.

[warsloth]

sorry for not actually hunting up your old posts, but you are a civilian working with military right? and you are roughing it just like the enlistees? Or are you military?
If you are a non-combatant contractor do they have you using a shoddy POS computer or what? I hope it's all worth it in the long run for you pal.

I heard combatant contractors rake in like 70k a month. (gee, maybe thats why the gov. budget is so bad)
that could all be a load of bull though.

Passing the time? Write a book.

read some Hemingway, start with A Farewell to Arms, then read For Whom the Bell Tolls.
well... Hemingway gets depressing, so have something else on hand.

sorry for being lazy...

[E-bo Obi]

I wish I was making 70K a month. The money is good or else I wouldn't have left my wife for it.

I will officially be seperated from the military on the 9th of July. I left the military to take this position in Afghanistan.

I am working on a POS Panasonic Toughbook. half the letters are worn off and the spacebar only works if I hit it directly in the center.

If I die here the gov't pays nothing in death benefits, if a soldier dies they pay upwards of 350k plus burial and all that stuff. Plus they don't have to pay to train someone to do my job.

Is it worth it? That is a good question. I am not prepared to answer that after one month on the ground.

Am I living like a soldier? Yes, except I don't work as many hours and I don't have to do PT.

Hemingway is a bit more than what I desire to read anymore. I stick mostly to fiction. There is enough drama over here with everything that goes on in a war zone to keep me reasonably depressed as it is. There is more to a job here than there is stateside. When people make mistakes here men and women die. It can be a stressful environment at times. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone who doesn't pay attention to detail.

[Dwilah]

*HUG*

[Isleh]

My suggestions,

Terry Pratchette
Phillip K Dick

I know boring is tough, you need to find a time consuming hobby. Whar had a good idea. Write short stories about Shipwreck and E-bo.

[X'an Shin]

If you can get stuff through the military PO system, send me your info in a PM and anything you want that you can't get while you're there.

I'd be willing to send you a care package through regular mail/FedEx or whatever will get to you outside of military channels, but it costs a fortune. Maybe if other people want to chip in, and there's stuff you want that you can't get, holler at me in a PM and I'll try and get you some.

My wife and I both sent care packages to "random" GIs for Christmas, and neither one of us heard back despite sending nice letters and stationary, envelopes, and pens to write back on.

I'd rather send shit to someone I know. Holler.

[Zannon]

Yeah...I'm still waiting for your address so I can send you porn, pork rinds, porn, beef jerky, porn, books, and did I mention porn!!!

[warsloth]

Only his wife should be sending the porn


It all sounds pretty crummy. If help is needed getting anything to you, Xan pop me a PM...

[E-bo Obi]

Things are not as bad as they seem. But if you want to send porn I will post my address in here lol. I doubt my wife would send me porn. Hell I can't even get her to send me tobacco. And no I don't need tobacco. I cn get it here it just isn't exactly what I want.

The care packages that people have sent to soldiers I know they enjoy. I have seen them opened on more than one occasion. I also know that a guy in the field is more likely to send a letter or card back than a guy sitting in an office. It means more to the guy laying in the mud.

John Galinac
CJTF-76, CJ6/SETAF
APO, AE 09354

I do not expect anything but since some of you asked I will give you the address. If you are going to send anything send it US Mail. Its cheaper and gets here in about the same time as anything else.

I do appreciate the thoughts from you all and I will continue to post here as much as possible about the experience.

Thanks

[Zyre Mercutio]

Things are not as bad as they seem. But if you want to send porn I will post my address in here lol. I doubt my wife would send me porn. Hell I can't even get her to send me tobacco. And no I don't need tobacco. I cn get it here it just isn't exactly what I want.

The care packages that people have sent to soldiers I know they enjoy. I have seen them opened on more than one occasion. I also know that a guy in the field is more likely to send a letter or card back than a guy sitting in an office. It means more to the guy laying in the mud.

John Galinac
CJTF-76, CJ6/SETAF
APO, AE 09354

I do not expect anything but since some of you asked I will give you the address. If you are going to send anything send it US Mail. Its cheaper and gets here in about the same time as anything else.

I do appreciate the thoughts from you all and I will continue to post here as much as possible about the experience.

Thanks

We have never met in person but I have always appreciated the player behind the toon of E-Bo, Arifo, etc as a fun, smart and smart aleck type.
That being said yer the person I have known best that is either in Afghanistan or Iraq, while my first inclination after realizing you are there
as a private citizen, or will be shortly, is to tell you to get yer butt home.
But I understand we all have choices and decisions that we make in our lives because its best for us, and as a total non-millitary type I have no
familiarity or expertise with yer situation at all. Mostly I want to wish ya the best and hope yer remaining time there passes quickly and will feel a lot better when the closest sand dune to you is in Krayt Oasis and not Khabul. Hope to see ya soon, peace!.

Marc aka Zyre

[warsloth]

(your wife should be sending *homemade* porn perhaps?)

anyway, what kind of postage does it take to get stuff over there? And what CAN'T we send?

[Skorixor]

I get a 75% discount at fedex if people want to make up a package to send, I can mail it for pretty cheap

[E-bo Obi]

I don't know if its cheaper to send USPS or Skorixor - Fedex. The USPS will only charge you for what it would cost to send a package to a location in the US. The stuff is all packed on military aircraft for APO locations so there is no charge.

I will not say what you CAN'T send because I believe you as a citizen of the USA have the right to send anything that won't directly threaten the life of others in a package to anyone you desire.

That being said... should anyone send me an item that may be considered questionable simply send me a note and I won't open it til I am in my semi-private room. Do realize that if there would be any labels of porn, alcohol, improved explosive device, and/or bomb on the package anywhere... including the customs sheet... it most likely won't make it to me. Also another tip is don't use boxes with oil stains or wires protruding from them. The government also checks your spelling when looking at package labels. Misspellings may result in the detonation of a care package.

Please note that I do not have a vehicle and would prefer that you refrain from sending anything in excess of 50 lbs. Not that you would, but I gotta throw that out there because I have seen what people sometimes randomly send soldiers here. There are plenty of gym's on this post, I neither require you to send me one nor do I have room for it, nor do I care to utilize one.

Thank you.